A Foundation of Promise
by Iliya Moroumetz
Summary: Who said nothing good ever came from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?


Note: Written as a response on the ME Kink Meme:

_We've all seen how Garrus is dedicated to those calibrations. But on a Cerberus vessel, equipment is not exactly suited for aliens. His wrists suffer from hours of typing on a non-ergonoming keyboard._

_Shepard helps him ease the pain._

_Actually, I'm up for any pairing at all. _  
_I just like FemShep/Garruzs the most._

_Just... ease the pain in the wrists. _  
_Might make my own wrists feel better._

* * *

"Oh, Jacob..." Kasumi moaned with a pleasure she hadn't felt in years.

Jacob allowed himself a small smile as his hands gently rubbed the joints on the thief's wrist and flexors on her uncovered lower forearm. The thief sat across the small table from him and murmured contentedly as Jacob's gloveless hands slowly and firmly began to relieve the pressure that had built up from years of constant hacking.

"Thank you so much for doing this," she said with a smile. If the gods ever favored Kasumi Goto, it was when she had enabled them to escape from that Blue Suns base, when a very untimely bout of carpel tunnel syndrome had reared its ugly head when they needed her to enable their escape.

Favored because her the pain had distracted her to the point where it left her an easy target for a Blue Sun, which was easily dispatched by the heroic Jacob Taylor, who then lifted her into his strong and muscular arms and carried her back to the shuttle as Shepard kept their back clear.

She could feel the thumping of his powerful heart, covered by those oh so delicious pecs, through the leather body suit!

Who said dreams never came true?

She would have kissed him right then and there, and gone farther, had he not gently placed her on the seat to pull out his gun to give Shepard the cover she needed to leap into the shuttle and to their freedom.

With another base taken care of, Shepard had given them both leave to take a break, since they had been working hard. Kasumi thought it was because good, old Shep knew what was going on and was giving her the go ahead to work her magic, since Jacob's reunion with his father had left him unsettled, disappointed, and frustrated.

Kasumi, burdened with the loss of her beloved Keiji, had found in Jacob many of the same qualities that enabled Keiji to steal her heart. Any and all differences were superficial at this point.

Keiji was Robin Hood. In shadows and secrets, he moved to relieve the overly rich, who also oppressed the poor, of their lucre and spread it surreptitiously to the masses. No one ever saw him coming or going and the recipients of his kindness were often brought to tears. Many found themselves saved at the last moment by the unexpected charity. And never once did he receive a thank you for his kindness, since no one knew it was him. Only Kasumi was ever that fortunate.

Jacob, on the other hand, was King Arthur. He was immovable in his morals and aware that becoming the same as your enemy made you no better. It didn't bother her all that much that Jacob had thrown in his lot with Cerberus, since he wanted to make a tangible difference and all the bureaucracy make it impossible. He made it clear that there were lines he would not cross and she loved him for that.

In her dreams, within marble halls, she imagined him in knightly attire, prostrate before her like a man of virtue. He would kiss her hand chastely, as though he were like Don Quixote, but a true knight-errant. Of course, it would go farther, but now was neither the time nor the place to get into the fantasies which kept her up at night.

Both held an air of nobility that drew her to them like moths to the flame. It hurt her to see him distraught so. So, she put it upon herself to remind him of the qualities that drew her to him in the first place.

"You know, there is an easier way to do this," she said calmly and kept the cheshire grin to a minimum.

Unsure as to where this conversation could go, Jacob ventured, "How so?"

Kasumi let her grin become playful as she hopped up, pushed her own chair away, pulled the table out from between them, walked over to him, turned around and hopped onto Jacob's lap.

With a cheeky smile, she offered her other arm, with the sleeve rolled up to her bicep, and said, "Here you go."

Jacob, while confused as to why she'd go this far, decided that anything he could say would be misconstrued into something inappropriate, no matter how much Kasumi would have wanted it. She wouldn't have minded if people caught them. Let them talk! She already knew everyone else's business anyway. This would be tossing them all a bone.

She watched him return to work on her other arm. While it was certainly possible for her to do this herself, she always had a fantasy of being waited on hand and foot by a stable of the most handsome men in the galaxy, in tuxedos no less.

Yet, she found herself strangely content with this. As the pressure and discomfort in her other arm waned, she felt the need to sleep creep up on her. She had to ask him here and now.

"So, Jacob, what do you plan to do once all this Reaper business is over?" she asked casually.

He blinked in surprise at her question. He then looked away for a moment before he answered, "Actually... I don't know. No one has ever asked me that."

_Silly people!_ Kasumi thought, with a mental wag of her mental index finger at everyone Jacob knew.

"Do you see yourself sticking with Cerbrus in the long run?" she probed.

He took another minute before his head shook slowly, "No. Some of the things they do 'for humanity's survival' doesn't sit well with me."

"You know, I was thinking about getting into a new business, since the Hock heist, stealing from the overly rich has lost its charm," she said wistfully.

"Oh really?" Jacob said with a chuckle. Her sense of humor was not lost on him, though he did appreciate the subtlety of her sarcasm.

She nodded, turned to him and continued, "So, I was thinking about starting a 'retrieval service'. If people, small businesses, and governments need something retrieved, they can come to me. However, the reason why I'm the best thief in the business is because no one ever sees me. If I were to do that, then people would see me, and then, well, I wouldn't be the best."

"So, wait... are you saying..." Jacob started before Kasumi nodded.

"Yes, Jacob, would you be willing to be my partner? It'd be a way I could keep my skills sharp and you can still be the good man I believe you are. It would keep me honest."

_Please say 'yes'! Please say 'yes'! Please, oh please, say 'yes', you chocolate covered demi-god! Chocolate covered? Ohhh! I'm gonna have to try that... _Kasumi thought at a mile a second.

Jacob was shocked at the statement that was more or less a proposal. All through his life, people always wanted him for his skills, never for him. It never bothered him because he knew that his personality could only get him so far. However, this was something he had never anticipated.

Furthermore, Kasumi seemed to be enamored with him to the point that she would trust him so readily that it threw Jacob for a loop. He had to claw his way to where he was, by himself, and even then, there was no guarantee that success would follow his effort.

"I'm honored that you'd ask me, Kasumi, but I'm not sure if that would work... let alone say that we'll survive the Reapers," he said quietly, the massage had stopped and he could not help but feel that he had disappointed her in a way.

To his surprise, she then moved herself so that she straddled his waist, held his head with both of her hands, and said, "Jacob, do you trust me?"

Ever since she had joined the crew, every time she, Jacob, and Shepard had gone on missions, she had protected him. She had watched over him. She had stood beside him. All facts that he had not missed. Granted, he wondered at times if she had cloaked herself in the armory as he did his calisthenics and weight lifting.

However, she had not once done anything contrary to her intentions or words.

Slowly, he nodded in response, "Yeah, I do."

She smiled tenderly, pulled her hood back to reveal her gold colored eyes and modest shoulder length mop of jet black hair, leaned in close and kissed him. It was short, chaste, and sweet. When she pulled away, she whispered, "I trust you, Jacob Taylor. More than you realize."

She let a moment pass so that could sink in. Kasumi Goto never revealed her face! Not even Shepard had seen her without her hood. Once more, Jacob Taylor felt beyond humbled to know that she trusted him so implicitly, that she would reveal her face, an action which to anyone else could easily endanger her, to him.

To her elation, his arms slowly wrapped around her waist and he pulled her close. His grip was firm, but loose enough that if she spurned his action, she would have an avenue to escape and let him know that he had gone too far. However, she not only leaned into him, but wrapped her own lithe arms around his secure shoulders and rested her head against his.

"Thank you," he whispered quietly, as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, despite the one on it now.

She smiled, nuzzled his neck and whispered, "You're most welcome, Mr. Taylor."

"Oh my," a new voice coyly said.

Both thief and officer jumped in surprise as the former clamped her limbs around him, and the latter held her fast as both turned to see Commander Shepard.

The Commander who stood against the bulkhead, her arms crossed, clicked her tongue, and said with a smirk, "I'm disappointed, Mr. Taylor. I'm sure you know how Cerberus views fraternization."

In response, Kasumi wrapped her arms and legs around him all the tighter and pouted, "Hands off! He's mine!"

It would be some time later that Jacob would admit that hearing Kasumi say that didn't bother him all that much.


End file.
